Sir Michael Barber

Sir Michael Barber has a real record of delivery in the Blair government, first at the Department for Education and Employment (1997–2001), and then as head of the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (2001–5), where he was tasked with ensuring the government's public service reforms delivered significant results.

Prior to joining government he was a teacher, union official and professor of education at the University of London. He is the author of several previous books including The Learning Game (1996), which set out his vision of a restructured school system and was a major influence on Blair's education reforms.

Until 2011 Sir Michael worked for a major global consulting firm advising governments around the world on how they can improve their performance. He is now Chief Education Adviser for Pearson.